By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — The Dunn County solid waste and recycling per capita fee could increase from $23 this year to nearly $71 next year to cover anticipated budget deficits.
The Dunn County Solid Waste & Recycling Board met April 14 to discuss the possibility of increasing the per capita fee for 2021.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was held by videoconferencing and posted to Dunn County’s YouTube channel.
The 2020 budget of $2.5 million is expected to have a deficit of $487,000, and the 2021 estimated budget of $2.6 million is expected to have a deficit of $816,000, said Morgan Gerk, director of Dunn County Solid Waste & Recycling.
Part of the deficit is due to increases in hauling costs, he said.
Revenue from the sale of recyclables also is substantially less than in years past.
Projected losses for 2020 include $510,000 at the transfer station west of Menomonie, $79,000 at the Boyceville collection site, $94,000 at the Colfax collection site, $118,000 at the Elk Mound collection site and about $41,000 at the Ridgeland site.
Increasing the per capita fees to $41.94 for solid waste and $28.90 for recycling, for a total of $70.84, would pay back the deficits, Gerk said.
Keith Strey, chief financial officer for Dunn County, noted that after several years of using the county’s fund balance to balance parts of the county’s budget, the fund balance can no longer be used to balance the budget.
The solid waste and recycling fund balance is at zero, and the program must have a plan to replenish the fund balance. The program must be sustainable and must pay for debt service and equipment as well, he said.
Dave Bartlett, chair of the Dunn County Board, asked if the increase to $70.84 per capita would cover all of the solid waste and recycling sites.
The $70.84 would cover all of the sites with all of the collection sites remaining open, Gerk said.
Bartlett suggested that in view of the projected deficits, perhaps the Clean Sweep program and the yard waste sites could be operated on a fee basis.
The solid waste and recycling program is important, Bartlett said, adding that he would rather see brush in the ditches rather than garbage and tires.
Because of the Safer at Home order during the COVID-19 pandemic, “everyone is cleaning,” and trash and yard waste “is off the charts,” Gerk said.
Amazing
The Dunn Count solid waste and recycling program is an “amazing program” with the manned collection sites and source-separated recyclables, Gerk said.
But the Dunn County program also is expensive to operate and is an “unusual” program compared to what is available in neighboring counties, he said.
“We have undervalued the program for far too long,” Gerk said.
Multiplying the increased per capita fee by 2.5 for a household, the annual fee would be $177, which compares to about $300 per year for curbside pick-up from commercial haulers, he said.
The Dunn County solid waste and recycling program was started with great intentions, but it is now time to re-evaluate, Gerk said.
A program of “single stream” and curbside pickup for Dunn County residents, with everything coming to the transfer station, could be an option. Changing the model would require a capital investment, he said.
Agreement
The townships and villages would have to agree to increases in the per capita fee. If one pulls out, the sustainability of the program is called into question, said Paul Miller, county manager.
In the townships, people could contract with a private hauler on their own, or the township could contract with a private hauler for the residents, he said.
It will be up to the municipalities whether they want the existing model or a different model, Gerk said, adding that he believes Dunn County residents are willing to pay to maintain the existing program.
Until the numbers are out there, the solid waste and recycling board does not know if the residents will pay extra, said Charles Maves, Dunn County Board supervisor and a member of the solid waste and recycling board.
The Dunn County Solid Waste and Recycling Board planned to have a “working group” meeting on April 20 with representatives of the municipalities to discuss the options for the program.
The Dunn County Solid Waste and Recycling Board is scheduled to hold a special meeting on April 28, by teleconference, to make decisions about the program.
Anyone who wishes to listen to the special meeting on April 28 can find the link to the meeting on the Dunn County website under the tab for public meetings.
